Mobile spray painting machine

ABSTRACT

A mobile spray painting machine having a vehicle movable along a raised shoulder, such as a curb, a carriage located laterally outboard of and movable vertically relative to the vehicle, a roller or the like on the carriage which rides along the top face of the shoulder to maintain the carriage at a fixed elevation relative to the shoulder, and paint spray heads on the carriage which receive paint under pressure from a supply on the vehicle and are oriented to spray paint the top and side shoulder faces as the vehicle moves along the shoulder.

United States Patent Swager 1 Aug. 29, 1972 [54] MOBILE SPRAY PAINTING MACHINE 1,610,773 12/1926 Hansen ..118/305 X 2 I t I l S 1 3 Dudley et al. [7 1 2353 7 2,076,172 4/1937 Bowden ..118/305 x Filed: p 1970 Primary Examiner-John P. McIntosh Na: Attorney-Boniard BI'OWD ABSTRACT g "239/150 figgf A mobile spray painting machine having a vehicle [58] Mei! 151 159 movable along a raised shoulder, such as a curb, a car- I163 164 15/103 riage located laterally outboard of and movable vertically relative to the vehicle, a roller or the like on the carriage which rides along the top face of the shoulder [56] References Clted to maintain the carriage at a fixed elevation relative to UNITED STATES PATEN'IS the shoulder, and paint spray heads on the carriage which receive paint under pressure from a supply on 3,148,833 9/ 1964 WllSOIl et a1 ..239/ 150 the vehicle and are Oriented to Spray paint the top and et side shoulder faces as the vehicle moves along the no h 2,586,256 2/1952 Quarles ..239/150 x S 0 er 3,101,175 8/1963 Brown ..239/150 7 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures Patented Aug. 29, 1972v 3,687,371

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 THIN INVEA/TUR CARL -J. 5w GER magi go A 77'0RA/E Y .2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Aug. 29, 1972 R m w m CARL J. SWAGER B) M w /0&

Arrow/5y MOBILE SPRAY PAINTING MACHINE BACKGROUND Jr-Tue. INVENTJQN 1. Field of the Invention:

This invention relates generally to the field of spray painting equipment and more particularly to a mobile spray painting machine for raised shoulders such as curbs along a roadway or the like.

2. Discussion of the Prior Art As will appear from the ensuing description, the present spray painting machine may be used for various shoulder spray painting applications. However, the invention is concerned primarily with spray painting road and street side curbs and will be disclosed in this connection.

Road and street side curbs are commonly painted at selected locations to indicate parking restrictions. A red curb, for example, indicates no parking, a green curb time limited parking, and a yellow curb loading and unloading only. In some places other colors may be used to indicate these or other parking restrictions.

At the present time, curbs are commonly painted in this fashion by hand spraying which is a time-consuming and costly street maintenance operation. The problem is compounded, of course, by the fact that the curbs must be repainted at relatively frequent intervals.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present inventionprovides a novel spray painting machine for painting curbs and other similar shoulders along roadways and the like. This machine has a vehicle which moves along the shoulder to be painted, either under its own power if self-propelled or by being towed by another vehicle. Located laterally outboard of the shoulder side of the vehicle is a carriage which is supported on the vehicle for vertical movement. A roller on the lower end of the carriage is disposed to ride along the top face of the shoulder to maintain the carriage at a fixed elevation relative to the carriage.

The carriage is equipped with means for mounting a pair of paint spray heads. These heads are supplied with paint under pressure from a paint supply on the vehicle. One spray head is located to spray the top face of the shoulder. The other spray head is located to'spray the side face of the shoulder. The machine includes a number of adjustments which permit proper alignment and spacing of the heads relative to the shoulder to assure optimum spray painting of its faces.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an end view of a paint spraying machine according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary side elevation of the machine looking in the direction of the arrows 2-2 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view taken on line 3-3 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary end view of a modified spraying machine; and

FIG. 5 is a section taken on line 5-5 in FIG. 4.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The spray painting machine a in FIGS. 1-3 has a vehicle 12 including a frame 14 mounted on ground wheels 16. The vehicle may be either selfpropelled or equipped with a hitch (not shown) by which it may be towed behind another vehicle. Vehicle 12 is adapted to move along the surface 18 of a roadway or the like painted, a distance from the shoulder. Shoulder 20 has a top face 20a and a side face 20b. a

Located laterally outboard of the shoulder side of the vehicle 12 is a spray head carriage 22. Carriage a mounted on the vehicle by means 24 which support the carriage for vertical movement relative to the vehicle. On b end of the carriage is shoulder engaging element 26, in this instance a wheel having its axis normal to the longitudinal axis of vehicle 12. Wheel 26 is disposed to roll along the top face 200 of the shoulder 20 as the vehicle travels along the roadway 18 so as to maintain the carriage 22 at a fixed elevation above the shoulder.

30, 34 22 has means 28 mounting an upper paint spray head 30 for spraying the top face 20a of shoulder 20, and means 32 mounting a, lower paint spray head 34 for spraying the side face 20b of the shoulder. Spray heads 30, 34 receive paint and air under pressure through hoses 36 from a paint supply 38 on the vehicle 12. This paint supply includes a large paint tank 40 having a lid 42 which is removable to permit filling of the tank with paint. Also included in the paint supply are means 44 for delivering paint from the tank and high pressure air to the spray heads. Suitable controls are provided for controlling the flow of air and paint to the spray heads. As will be explained presently, the spray heads Referring 34 are adjustable to locate the heads in the proper attitude and spacing relative to the wheel 26 to effect optimum spraying of the shoulder faces 20a, 20b.

Referring in greater detail to the invention embodiment selected for illustration in FIGS. 1-3, the spray head carriage 22 comprises a pair of spaced parallel slide rods 46 rigidly joined at their ends by cross-heads 48. The carriage mounting means 24 comprises a guide 50 rigidly attached to the outer end of a support arm 52 which extends laterally from and is rigidly secured at its inner end to the vehicle frame 14. Guide 50 has a pair of vertical bores slidably receiving the carriage rods 46 for vertical movement of the rods relative to the vehicle Slidable on the upper ends of the carriage rods 46 above the rod guide 50 is a horizontal bracket arm 54. This arm extends laterally of the rods, away from and transverse to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle 12. Bracket arm 54 is releasably secured to the carriage rods by a set screw 56 which may be released to adjust the arm along the rods. Slidable on the lower ends of the rods below the rod guide 50 are a pair of bracket arms 58 and 60. Arm 58 extends laterally to the same side of the rods as the upper bracket arm 54 and has an a outer oblique portion terminating in an end parallel to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle to which the wheel 26 is attached. Bracket arm 60 extends toward the vehicle in downwardly sloping relation to the horizontal, as shown. Arms 58, 60 are releasably secured to the carriage rods 46 by a set screw 62 which may be released to adjust the arms along the rods. Connected between the lower end of the carriage 22 and a bracket 64 attached to the rod guide 50 is a tension spring 66 which yeildably supports a major portion of the carriage weight. This spring is adjusted to enable the carriage wheel 26 to roll freely along the upper shoulder face 20a and maintain the carriage 22 at a fixed elevation relative to the face.

The upper spray head mounting means 28 comprises a vertical rod 68 slidable in the outer end of the upper bracket arm 54 and having at its lower end an outturned threaded shaft 7-. A set screw 71 releasably secures the rod in fixed position relative to the arm.

. The upper spray head 30 is slidable on the shaft 70 and is fixed in adjusted position along the shaft by nuts 72. The lower spray head mounting means 32 comprises a, rod 74 slidable in a guide 76 on the end of the lower inwardly directed bracket arm 60 and an upturned threaded shaft 78 on the end of the shaft. Guide 76 is rotatably adjustable about an axis normal to the rod 74 and parallel to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle 12. Rod 74 is adjustably fixed in the guide 76 by a set screw (not shown) and is positioned with its shaft 78 nearest the shoulder 20. The lower spray head 34 is slidable on the shaft 78 and is fixed in adjusted position along the shaft by nuts 80. Referring particularly to FIG. 1, it will be seen that the spray heads 30, 34 are adjusted to spraying positions wherein their point sprays just span the width of their respective shoulder faces 20a, 20b.

In operation, the vehicle 12 is towed or propelled along the shoulder 20 at the proper distance from the shoulder to cause the spray head carriage wheel 26 to roll along. the upper shoulder face 20a, adjacent the face 20b. This retains the spray heads 30, 34 in the proper positions to spray the shoulder faces. If desired, the carriage guide 50 may carry a limit stop 82 for arresting downward movement of the carriage 22 in a lower position wherein the carriage wheel 26 is a short distance abovethe ground to permit the machine to travel freely when not in operation.

The modified paint spraying machine 100 of FIGS. 4 and has a spray head carriage 102 mounted on a carriage support 104 located laterally outboard of and rigidly attached to the vehicle 12. Carriage 102 is secured to the support 104 by parallel pivoted links 106 a which are hinged to swing in a vertical plane parallel to the longitudinal vehicle axis. The carriage, carriage support, and pivot links constitute a parallel linkage which supports the carriage for vertical movement springs 108 are connected between the carriage support 104 and the upper links 106 to yieldably support a major portion of the carriage weight. Mounted on a lateral arm 1 l0 rigid on the lowerend of the carriage is a wheel 112 which rides along the top face a of the shoulder 20 to be painted to locate the carriage 102 at a fixed elevation relative to the face.

Rigid on the upper end of the carriage 102 is an outwardly extending bracket arm 114. An inwardly directed bracket arm 116 is rigid on the lower end of the carriage. These arms a, spray b means 118, 120 similar to those in the first inventive embodiment.

In operation, paint spray heads (not shown) like those of the first embodiment are attached to the mounting means 118, 120 and adjusted to the proper positions to spray the shoulder faces 20a, 20b in the manner explained earlier. The machine is then towed or propelled along the shoulder as before.

What is claimed as new in support of Letters Patent is:

l. A mobile spray painting machine for a raised shoulder such as a curb rising above the surface of a roadway or the like and having a side face facing the roadway and a top face, said machine comprising:

a vehicle movable along said roadway surface with one si co the chic] d c tsaid ho l er, a spray eacf carriage d is pd ed l ateralfy oi it card of said one vehicle side,

means mounting said vehicle for free vertical floating movement relative to said vehicle, said surface for maintaining said carriage at a fixed elevation relative to said top shoulder face, and the first paint spray head mounted on said carriage inboard of said roller for directing a paint spray outwardly toward said roller to a first region just inboard of the roller and directly below a horizontal plane tangent to the underside of said roller to spray paint said shoulder side face, and a second spray head mounted on said carriage substantially in the vertical plane of said roller for directing a paint spray downwardly to a second region in said horizontal plane directly behind said roller to spray paint said shoulder top face. said first spray head is located inboard of said roller and second spray head are located outboard of said carriage. 1 including: means for adjusting said first and second spray heads toward and away from said first and second regions, respectively. 4. A spray painting machine according to claim 1 wherein:

said carriage mounting means comprises a fixed guide located laterally outboard of said one vehicle side, and said carriage comprises means slidably engaging said guide for vertical movement of said carriage means for limiting downward movement of said carriage to a lower limiting position wherein said roller is spaced above said roadway surface. 

1. A mobile spray painting machine for a raised shoulder such as a curb rising above the surface of a roadway or the like and having a side face facing the roadway and a top face, said machine comprising: a vehicle movable along said roadway surface with one side of the vehicle adjacent said shoulder, a spray head carriage disposed laterally outboard of said one vehicle side, means mounting said carriage on said vehicle for free vertical floating movement relative to said vehicle, a shoulder engaging roller on the lower end of said carriage engageable with and movable along said top shoulder face during movement of said vehicle along said surface for maintaining said carriage at a fixed elevation relative to said top shoulder face, and the first paint spray head mounted on said carriage inboard of said roller for directing a paint spray outwardly toward said roller to a first region just inboard of the roller and directly below a horizontal plane tangent to the underside of said roller to spray paint said shoulder side face, and a second spray head mounted on said carriage substantially in the vertical plane of said roller for directing a paint spray downwardly to a second region in said horizontal plane directly behind said roller to spray paint said shoulder top face.
 2. A spray painting machine according to claim 1 wherein: said first spray head is located inboard of the said carriage and said roller and second spray head are located outboard of said carriage.
 3. A spray painting machine according to claim 1 including: means for adjusting said first and second spray heads toward and away from said first and second regions, respectively.
 4. A spray painting machine according to claim 1 wherein: said carriage mounting means comprises a fixed guide located laterally outboard of said one vehicle side, and said carriage comprises means slidably engaging said guide for vertical movement of said carriage relative to said guide.
 5. A spray painting machine according to claim 1 wherein: said carriage mounting means comprises a fixed support located laterally outboard of said one vehicle side, and parallel arms pivotally connecting said carriage and fixed support.
 6. A spray painting machine according to claim 1 including: a spring for counterbalancing a portion of the weight of said carriage.
 7. A spray painting machine according to claim 1 including: means for limiting downward movement of said carriage to a lower limiting position wherein said roller is spaced above said roadway surface. 